Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District called for the swift passage of a payroll tax cut extension that will provide tax relief to 900,000 New Mexicans for the rest of the year.  A new report released by the Joint Economic Committee highlights the impact a ten-month extension of the tax cut will have on workers across New Mexico.

“From San Juan County to Union County and everywhere in between, workers in Northern New Mexico will keep hundreds of dollars in their pocket this year once Congress passes an extension of the payroll tax cut,” Congressman Luján said.  “During this difficult economic time, that money will go a long way for a family struggling to make ends meet.  After House Republicans threatened the American people with a tax hike at the end of last year, I hope they will come to the table to quickly work on an extension that provides tax relief through the end of the year.”

The report, “Keeping More Money in the Pockets of American Families,” provides county-level data regarding how much money a New Mexican worker making the median annual wage would receive as a result of the payroll tax cut extension.  Click here to read the full report.  Below is a breakdown of counties in Luján’s Northern New Mexico district:

County                               Median Annual Wage        Additional Take-Home Pay
                                           Per Worker                      Per Worker

Bernalillo County                  $27,353                                  $456
Colfax County                        $19,861                                  $331
Curry County                         $21,413                                  $357
Harding County                     $28,177                                  $470
Los Alamos                            $52,463                                  $874
McKinley County                   $20,076                                  $335
Mora County                          $23,564                                  $393
Quay County                          $20,486                                  $341
Rio Arriba County                 $25,519                                  $425
Roosevelt County                  $17,811                                  $297
San Juan County                    $28,540                                  $476
San Miguel County                $21,312                                  $355
Sandoval County                   $31,571                                  $526
Santa Fe County                    $26,530                                  $442
Taos County                          $21,079                                  $351
Union County                         $21,435                                  $357

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